Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-06-08
BRITAIN'S WAR STRENGTH
CHURcHILL'S ADDRESS TO THE BlR-
MINGHAM uNloNlSTS. .

The War and Navy Affairs of the Kingdom
Freely Commented Upon-A Powerful
Fleet ON Paper-A Plan tee Place the
Country in u Safe Condition. Notes from
the Old World.
LONDON, June 6-Lord Randolph Church
i'll made speech to the Birmingham Union
lists Friday night, in which he took occasion
to express himself very freely regarding the
poor administration of the war and navy af-
fairs of the kingdom. He said that in the
event of war England might, after madden
ing delay and pouring out money like water,
put 15O, 900 men in the field. Doubtless Eng
land had very powerful feet on paper, but
not q single fortress of strategic importance
throughout the empire was properly armed
and proviSioned. Indeed many were entirely
unarmed and unproviSioned. For instance,
Malta was not provisioned to support gar
rison three weeks, Not single heavy gun
was in reserve, and there was no reserve
whatever of heavy proiectiles Every de-
partment of the military and naval service
was supplied with defective weapons, despite
the vast. expenditures Of the war and navy de
partmentS.
Lord Randolph then related several anec-
dotes to illustrate the truth of his statements.
! After bonbarding Alexandria the iron-clads
Sultan and Alexandria had not ten rounds of
heavy shell left. and as there was no reserves
at Malta they would have been utterly at the
the mercy Of the. French feet. In the
khartoum expedition the shells were too
large for the guns and so badly made that
they would not explode During the critical
state of Europe, at the close of last year, not
a single cartridge was in store for machine
guns. He said he heard from the highest
authority recently that the Monarch came
into harbor wanting heavy guns for her tur
ret, but there were none to be given her, and
she had to go to Portsmouth and Spitshead
for guns capable of only seventy rounds. In
1886 the ordnance committee designed forty
three-ton guns aud asked the Armstrong; to
construct fifteen of them. The Armstrong;
protested that the designs were bad, but they
were told to mind their own business and
make the guns. When they were made
Capt, Noble refused to send them to
sea, saying they would burst He also was
told to mind his own business. Four of the
guns were put aboard the Coflingwood, and
on the second round, firing half-cartridge,
one OF them burst. The whole were then
condemned at loss of G200, 600. Worst of
all, II there was war, four of the guns were
still held in reserve fer the Collingweod.
Lord Randolph made numerous other revela-
tions as to ineficiency and badness in designs
for new vessels for the feet He said.
Perhaps you understand this sort of sys-
tenn of expending public money against which
j dashed myself and utterly refused to becon-
nected with for day or an hour. It Is sys-
tenn which, deeply regret to say, the pre-
mier and secretary Of the army and navy
have banded themselves together to support.
rather pity than blame them. I only want
to show the sort Of humbug which an official
ring thinks good enough for public consump-
ton ~
At the close of his speech Lord Churchill
said he had plan which, while undoubtedly
radical sweeping, and revolutionary, would
place the country in a position to fairly per-
feet its military and naval preparations, and
sa1,a a La c,7Y,1 ~